BREAKING NEWS: Atletico in 'preliminary agreement' with Monaco for Lemar

Thomas Lemar is closing in on a transfer to Atletico Madrid after the Spanish club announced they have reached a "preliminary agreement" with Monaco for the France winger.

Lemar has regularly been linked with a move away from Stade Louis II since enjoying a sensational campaign in the club's title-winning 2016-17 season.

The 22-year-old was a key man for Leonardo Jardim's side, scoring nine times and setting up another 10 in Ligue 1.

He attracted the interest of Arsenal – among others – and appeared to be on the verge of a move to Emirates Stadium early last season, but the collapse of Alexis Sanchez's proposed switch to Manchester City reportedly saw Lemar's transfer fall apart.

But he finally appears to have secured his next challenge, with Atletico giving every indication they want to close the gap on LaLiga champions Barcelona next season by signing a highly rated attacker.